Homeownership Rate by Race/Ethnicity

Healthy Neighborhoods

Homeownership Rate by Race/Ethnicity

What does this measure?

The number of owner-occupied units (not rented) as a percent of all occupied units (not vacant), for various racial and ethnic groups.

Why is this important?

Historically, members of some racial and ethnic groups have suffered discrimination in buying homes and accessing home mortgages. A home is a vital financial asset for a family and an investment in both the local neighborhood and surrounding community.

How is our region performing?

In 2012-16, homeownership rates in the region were highest among white residents, at 73%, followed by Asian residents at 52%, Hispanic residents at 35%, and African American residents at 32%. The racial/ethnic disparity was similar at the national level, however the national rates of homeownership among Hispanics and African Americans were about 10 points higher than our region. Statewide, rates of homeownership were 10 points lower for Hispanic and white residents and 6 points lower for Asian residents, while the rate among African American residents was similar to our region.

Most of the counties in the region did not have large enough populations of residents in each racial or ethnic group for reliable estimates, except for Monroe, which had rates of homeownership very similar to the region among all four groups. In the City of Rochester, homeownership rates were lower among each group, and the disparity between groups was smaller. White residents still had the highest rate of home ownership, at 43%, followed by Asian residents at 32%, African American residents at 28%, and Hispanic residents at 27%.

Notes about the data

The multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.